The Indiana Pacers’ season won’t be great, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be watching the start of a new era for the team.
Abandon hope, all ye who enter this Indiana Pacers season.
Those are the sage words of Jon Lafollette over at Nuvo before the season began. The Pacers weren’t ready to transition from the Paul George era, as a rotation with Damien Wilkens and an anachronistic Al Jefferson getting minutes shows.
Unless you prefer unhinged optimism, there isn’t a way to spin the reality of this team into something beyond a fringe playoff team — or worse. The reality of the situation is that the Indiana Pacers are starting a rebuild. Kevin Pritchard may say differently, and Myles Turner may be optimistic about the Pacers, but that doesn’t make them a better team.
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But you know what? I like certain parts of this team and they are very fun to watch at times. We saw that in the season opener as the Pacers raced around the floor. This season is serving as a tryout for Indiana’s future. Pritchard is betting on some players while taking fliers on others, which is exciting in a weird way. If any of these players over-achieve, that’s a building block for Indiana’s future. The Pacers are likely a team that wins fewer than 40 games, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it.
One thing that’s very different about this season is the expectations. Yes, they are low, but that also makes games more enjoyable to watch. Instead of the weight that’s been on the team since 2012, this is just basketball. Of course, fans want higher expectations, but there is something to be said about this season filling less like a chore.
Every game doesn’t have to be a referendum of playoff expectations. For once, the Pacers can enjoy wins instead of fearing what this means for the star player’s future with the team. Yes on a long enough timeline, the survivability rate of everything drops to zero, but right now we don’t have to worry about Myles Turner being in a Paul George situation. So stop, enjoy this.
While I understand the Lafollette’s nihilism, there are a few reasons you might fall in love with this team — or at least certain players.
Obviously, Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo are expected to stick around for the next few seasons, but here are a few other guys you should be getting excited about.
Let the rookies win (or lose)
We saw just enough in the preseason from T.J. Leaf and Ike Anigbogu to be intrigued by that they’ll bring to the team.
Leaf’s 18 points in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers served as a reminder of why he was drafted. If he has a handful of games where he unleashes a fury of points then he is worth the draft pick for the entertainment value alone. He showed against the Nets that it wasn’t just a preseason thing, either.
There will certainly be ups and downs in his game as he will be exposed defensively, but we might get to see him grow as a player as he learns from his mistakes. We saw that happen with Myles Turner when he had one of the best moments of his rookie season (blocking LeBron James) and his worst (a mental-lapse in crunch time) in the same game. The frustration of mistakes fades into memory once we see a rookie learn and adapt. Leaf may never be a great defender in the NBA, but one hopes he can get closer to average.
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The flip-side of the offensive-minded Leaf is his former UCLA and now Pacers teammate, Ike Anigbogu. The former Bruin only played significant minutes in one preseason game, but 8 points on 3 of 3 shooting (and a pair of free throw) made me feel a little better about his chances in the NBA. Unlike Leaf, he won’t need to blow up every so often to bring the team value. A mere 26 minutes of preseason basketball isn’t enough to make a judgment on him, but he looked competent on both ends of the floor.
Watch the duo develop into —hopefully — two cornerstones of the Pacers’ future makes the slog of losing close games much more bearable.
Edmond Sumner is the other rookie the Pacers selected but his injury status leaves us wondering if we’ll see him at all this season. We may have to wait until next season before we have any idea what he can bring to Indiana.
Domantas Sabonis is more than a trade throw-in
Domantas Sabonis is the forgotten part of the Paul George trade. Victor Oladipo rightly garnered more attention, but the Pacers are hoping Sabonis can be more than just a throw-in on the controversial trade.
He filled in for Myles Turner at center over the last two games, averaging 10 points and 10.5 rebounds. Other than his foul trouble against the Heat, there is little to nothing to complain about from the 21-year old Lithuanian.
Sabonis wasn’t in a role that catered to his abilities — and he was just a rookie — with the Oklahoma City Thunder. With those experience under his belt and in a better situation, Sabonis is thriving.
Domantas’ defense got him starting time in Oklahoma City, but his offense was bad enough he arguably was a net loss for the Thunder when he was on the floor. He shot 39.9% last season before showing any offensive promise with the Pacers in the preseason. If nothing else he looked like a rookie, but not an overly impressive one in Oklahoma City.
After a 7 of 7 opening night for Sabonis, he’s averaging 12.3 points a game on 63.6% shooting. That percentage is bound to come down, but as long as he doesn’t shoot in the low thirties or worse, it is safe to say his offensive game has made a major jump.
Oladipo is the better player of the two from the trade, but Sabonis shows he isn’t just the other guy involved in that transaction.
Victor Oladipo’s Indiana homecoming is more than just a feel-good story. It’s made the Pacers much more entertaining.
Victor Oopadipohttps://t.co/EqDVrcPKoD
— 8 Points, 9 Seconds (@8pts9secs) October 21, 2017
The former Hoosier’s ability to turn nearly any play into a fast break opportunity is something Indiana lacked in recent years. We knew he was fast, but he is incredibly fast even by NBA standards. His 8.7 fast break points a game are evidence of that.
One way he creates these chances is by attacking passing lanes and coming up with steals. It appears coach Nate McMillan gave Oladipo the green light and he is averaging 2.7 steals a game so far, tying him for 4th in the NBA.
An underrated part of his game is drawing fouls, forcing defenses to foul him five times a game so far. That’s lead to 7.7 free throw attempts a game. Free throws aren’t exciting by any means, but getting other team’s into foul trouble can pay dividends in close games.
Oladipo may never ‘live up’ to the size of his contract or who he was traded for, but that doesn’t mean he is a bad player. If he can fill the basket with points and keep Indiana in games, then he is doing his job. This isn’t about Oladipo being Paul George, it is about earning the respect he deserves.
This team will certainly have its ups and downs. We’ve seen that as they came out of the gates running and gunning to beat the Brooklyn Nets, but then getting smacked down by Portland Trail Blazers. The loss to the Miami Heat juxtaposed the team’s failings with their ability to rally back and nearly win the game.
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There are plenty of other storylines to watch for as well. Potential trades loom, Myles Turner is still a few years away from his peak as a player, and Lance Stephenson being Lance Stephenson is always worth watching.
Cory Joseph isn’t impressive through three games, but he still showed his nack for defensive guard play. He will eventually break out and give us a look at his potential as both a starting point guard or a solid back up like he was with the Toronto Raptors.
Darren Collison and Bojan Bogdanovic may not factor into Indiana’s long-term plans, but there will be nights where they save the day with offensive explosions. They have their flaws, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be fun to watch at times.
And that’s what we should be looking forward to this season. Finding enjoyment in the growth as a team. We’re seeing Domantas Sabonis and Lance Stephenson team up in the pick and roll. We’re going to watch T.J. Leaf catch fire and lead the Pacers to a win. Turner will show why he deserves your All-Star votes on both ends of the floor. Oladipo will play at a breakneck pace that everyone struggles to keep up with.
Along the way, we’ll see moments of greatness that may not matter this year or even next season as the Pacers plan for the long-term. But the moments where Indiana grows as a team and learns how to play together are worth more than the number of wins they end the season with.